Yuxi Wang_Project1wearability design_ Magic Collar

Here I have created a fashionable accessory — magic collar. It allows people nudge friends from distance by slightly rotating the big button on the collar. The idea starts from the consideration of ‘the placement of the device’. Since chest is one of the most stable spots of the body, I decided to create something worn around the neck and place the device on the chest. Also, I aimed for designing something that fashionable people can wear it anywhere, anytime. And I noticed that ‘separate collar’ has become a fashionable accessory in recent years. Therefore, a special made collar would be interesting for this project.

Description of interaction scenario
People sometimes touch and play with their tie and shirt buttons unconsciously. Therefore, slightly rotate the button on the collar will not grab any attention. I use it as a way to cover-up the ‘nudge’ movement. Moreover, the cut out here indicates how the ‘interaction’ works. Basically, when you rotate the button to trigger the ‘nudge’, the button fits neatly into the cut out shape.

Here I have created a vine video for demonstration, but I had problem with embedding it here. I apologize for the inconvenience Please check the link: https://vine.co/v/hnFdmOz7lta/embed

Inventiveness with nudger and notifier
The nudger was made from conductive fabric. There are two separate pieces of conductive fabric connected to the circuit. And there are four pieces of triangle shaped conductive fabric sticked onto the four corners of the wood button. When users rotate the wood button to a 45 degree angle, the conductive fabric on the button will close the circuit and trigger the notifier.

Use of materials
I choose to use wool felt and wood to build the collar. First of all, these two types of materials matches each other in an aesthetic perspective. The wool felt is stiff enough to hold the structure, thus it is suitable for making a collar. The wood button was made by myself, which is big enough to facilitate the nudge movement. In addition, the wood made button is actually not the button which buckle up the collar. And instead of using an actual button I embedded the magnets to make it much more easier for users.

Wearability design:
1. The placement of the wearable device
The chest is one of the areas that is relatively stable. Worn around the neck and place the device on the chest is a good placement.

2. Aesthetic design
The exaggerated wood button is the highlight of the aesthetic design. Also, the deconstructivism wool felt collar matches the look of the button.

3. Weight, find the center of the gravity
The weight of the collar is light and it will not affect the body movement.The weight is balanced and it will not tilt.

4. Attachment, consideration of sizing and fit
In order to keep the big button on the right spot, the size cannot be adjusted. However, the neck measurements only have slightly difference across adults. The collar fits most of the people in regular size.

5. Proxemics: human perception of space
The collar was designed neither too tight nor too loose. I figured out an appropriate scale of space between collar and body. I have created extra space to place the device, so it will not cause any uncomfortableness in terms of proxemics.

6. Accessibility
It is easy to access to the device, all you need to do is to take it out from the pocket. However, you only need to take it out when you clean the collar.

7. Long-term Use
All the materials I used in this project can be long-term used. The wool felt stays clean for long time and people can get it cleaned by easily taking out the electronic device.